Bucharest, Romania — This month, Romania and the Vatican will host the second edition of the FILMIKON International Festival, a unique cultural event that showcases films honored by ecumenical juries across the globe. The festival, steered by SIGNIS Romania, will bridge cinematic art with Christian and human values in venues across Bucharest, Iași, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca, and the Vatican.
The festivities will commence in Bucharest from January 18-24, moving on to simultaneous events in Iași and Oradea on January 23, followed by Cluj-Napoca and concluding in the Vatican on January 24-25. This year, the festival also aligns with the lead-up initiatives for the 2025 Jubilee Year, infusing an additional layer of significance to the array of events scheduled.
The official kickoff in Bucharest features the acclaimed film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. This film, lauded at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival with both the Ecumenical Jury Prize and the Special Jury Prize, offers a narrative grounded in the reality of violent protests in Tehran. The storyline delves into the life of a new judge, Iman, and his interactions with the powerful women surrounding him. A discussion moderated by Ileana Bîrsan, FILMIKON’s director, along with prominent film critic Irina Margareta Nistor, will follow the screening.
Adding to the festival’s allure, a unique cine-concert will take place at the St. Joseph Cathedral on January 19. The event features the 1916 silent movie “Christus,” directed by Giulio Antamoro, which portrays the life of Jesus Christ. The film’s score will resonate through the cathedral, performed live on the organ by Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard, a noted organist from the Church of Saint-Eustache in Paris.
The films selected for this edition critically explore pressing global issues such as the ramifications of totalitarian governance, the trials of migration, and the profound impacts of sickness and exclusion on children, intricately woven through humanistic and Christian motifs.
In a spotlight on local talent, Romanian cinema will make a significant mark with films like “Where the Elephants Go,” directed by Gabi Virginia Șarga and Cătălin Rotaru, and “Dead Cat” by Ana-Maria Comănescu. Both films have previously garnered accolades at the 2024 Transylvania International Film Festival and will be screened at Cinema Union.
Additional screenings are set to unfold in Iași at Cinema Ateneu, in Cluj-Napoca at Cinema Victoria, and in Oradea at both Cinema Palace and Oradea Shopping City. The Vatican screenings will notably feature “Christus” and “The Cardinal” during the Communications Social Jubilee, a significant event observed every 25 years by the Catholic Church as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations.
Details on the full program of FILMIKON can be accessed on eventbook.ro and the festival’s official Facebook page, as organizers finalize the schedule for what promises to be a culturally enriching film festival.
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